R.E.M. – It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

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Not only do the La Brea Tar Pits reside at the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and Curson Ave. here in the heart of the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles, but also at the intersection of the barrage of post-Fugitive Tommy Lee Jones’ films and the mid-90s disaster movie binge the country seemed hooked on.

Yes, that’s right. For those of you privileged enough to have seen the 1997 film, Volcano, you may remember how cool the premise of the film seemed back then. It’s amazing how 12 years can dramatically shift a movie genre from action flick into comedy. For those unfamiliar, spoiler alert: a volcano erupts in Los Angeles, through the La Brea Tar Pits, causing massive mayhem and destruction. Lucky for us, Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard comes to save the day.

For those of you already confused, this past Sunday evening, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (that’s the NHMLAC, for those of you acronym collectors out there), put on a screening of Volcano right directly next to the Tar Pits. The best part was that pre-film, there was a panel of scientists in front with microphones giving a mini-discussion about all of the bad science present in the film. You can barely make it out, but the middle scientist in the photo above is actually dressed as a volcano. I’ve got to say, that it was nice to actually learn something about plate tectonics, the difference between magma and lava, and what exactly is seeping up through the ground a mere 2.2 miles from where I live (it’s asphalt).

Next up for the Natural History Museum? Godzilla vs. Mothra. No joke.